Kristen Mathews joins Cooley’s New York office as a partner in the firm’s global cyber/data/privacy group and litigation department. A pioneer in the privacy and cybersecurity fields, Mathews is a trusted advocate and adviser across the full spectrum of the most complex privacy and cybersecurity issues – including treatment of personal and experiential information about individuals, cybersecurity preparedness and data breach incident response. Her practice also meets the convergence of privacy issues, artificial intelligence, brain tech, and the ethical ramifications of the use of AI and other new technologies. Mathews joins Cooley from Morrison & Foerster.
“Kristen’s practice is a natural complement to our world-class c/d/p team,” said Michael Attanasio, partner and chair of Cooley’s global litigation department. “Kristen’s arrival will deepen our bench in an ever-evolving practice area that is critical to our innovative clients, while continuing our build-out of an elite, next-generation litigation and advisory team in our New York office.”
Mathews represents clients in a broad range of industries, including technology, finance, retail and consumer goods. Mathews is a leader in the c/d/p field, with more than 20 years of experience representing clients as they navigate emerging privacy issues involving the use and monetization of data, cybersecurity, data breaches and AI. Chambers has ranked Mathews since 2010, and The Legal 500 US inducted her into its Hall of Fame in the Cyber Law category.
“As Cooley continues to expand our market-leading capabilities in AI and data protection, Kristen will sit at the center of our efforts to provide top-notch solutions, empowering the most sophisticated businesses in the world to innovate securely and effectively,” said Travis LeBlanc, partner and co-chair of Cooley’s global c/d/p practice.
Mathews advises clients on compliance with data privacy laws on the state, federal and international levels – including industry-specific laws in the financial, adtech, brain tech, kids/teens and direct marketing industries. She will join CooleyREG, the firm’s approach to regulatory issues across industries, and will continue counseling AI leaders on innovative projects involving consumer consents for data use, licensing data to train AI and other emerging issues.
“I’m excited to join Cooley and collaborate with such a talented team,” said Mathews. “The expanding and evolving legal frameworks governing privacy issues are more critical and complex than ever. I look forward to working with Cooley’s innovative and disruptive clients as they navigate the landscape of threats and vulnerabilities.”
Mathews is the latest addition to Cooley’s thriving litigation department. In the last five years, the firm has added former assistant US attorneys John Bostic (Palo Alto), Russell Capone (New York), Rebekah Donaleski (New York), Andrew Goldstein (DC), Danny Grooms (DC), Zach Hafer (Boston), John Hemann (San Francisco) and Matt Kutcher (Chicago), along with federal agency and congressional practitioners Ethan Glass (antitrust), Susanne Sachsman Grooms (congressional investigations), Kathleen Hartnett (DOJ), Matt Howsare (CPSC), Elliot Kaye (CPSC) and Sonia Nath (FDA), and others – including Michael Neumeister (business restructuring), Teresa Michaud (commercial litigation), Kathy O’Neill (antitrust), William K. Pao (securities litigation), Michelle Rogers (financial services) and Daniel Shamah (business restructuring).
